


the story of how I died

by gobos



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, And daddy issues, Angst, Bisexual Rapunzel (Disney), Cassunzel Week (Disney), Childhood Trauma, F/F, Fluff, Inspired by Tangled (2010), Lesbian Cassandra (Disney: Tangled), Mommy Issues, Slow Burn, and cassandra is kind of a bitch, basically tangled au where cassandra finds the tower instead of eugene, but I love them both, fear of disappointment, flynn rider is kind of an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29362194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gobos/pseuds/gobos
Summary: Cassandra has lived her life trying to prove to her father that she's ready to be a part of the royal guard. So when she gets her first assignment, she's determined to come back victorious.Of course, things aren't as easy as they seem.(Tangled AU fic where Cassandra finds Rapunzel in the tower)
Relationships: Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	the story of how I died

**Author's Note:**

> Cassunzel was def Disney just queer baiting in the series and I will die on that rock. That doesn't mean I won't be writing fanfiction about them.

Once upon a time, a single drop of sunshine fell from the heavens, and from this small drop of sun grew a magic golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. The gift of this sun drop was first discovered by an old woman, Mother Gothel. Instead of sharing the sun’s gift, Gothel hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young and beautiful. 

Centuries passed, and there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen, and the queen was about to have a baby. 

But she got sick. 

_Really_ sick. 

She was running out of time, and that’s when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic golden flower. On one of those evenings, when palace guards searched beyond Corona for this rumored flower, one guard spotted a small spot of sunshine - a beacon in the dark. With haste, they removed the flower and hurried back to Corona, and the magic of the golden flower healed the queen. A healthy baby girl - a princess - was born, with beautiful golden hair, and she was named Rapunzel. To celebrate her birth, the king and queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. For that one moment, everything was perfect. 

And then that moment ended. 

Gothel, angry at the royal family for stealing the precious flower, broke into that castle that night, stole the child, and just like that - gone. The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the princess. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Gothel raised the child as her own. Gothel had found her new magic flower, but this time, she was determined to keep it hidden. Yet, the walls of that tower could not hide everything. Each year, on her birthday, the king and queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hope that one day their lost princess would return. 

Twenty years had passed, and that tradition still lives on in Corona. And Cassandra despised it.

Of course, she would like the festival more if her father had given her a job, an assignment, anything really. This holiday was the biggest event of the year, which also meant it was the most heavily guarded event of the year. Yet here was Cassandra, the daughter of the captain of the guard, sparring with a dummy in an empty courtyard. 

Cassandra couldn’t shake the feeling of how useless she was, of how embarrassing all of this was. Twenty-two years old and her father makes her _train_ on the most important day of the year. Cassandra delivered one final blow to the dummy, slicing through its skull and knocking it onto the grass. Sheathing her sword, Cassandra wiped the sweat off her forehead and walked over to the dummy. She stood still for a moment, staring at the hacked up block of wood that once resembled the shape of a human being. Cassandra crouched down beside it, one hand wrapped around her knees while the other traced the etchings she carved into the wood only moments ago. Deep gashes cut across the head, the neck, the torso, each one cracking the wood until one day it would shatter. Just like the rest of them.

Cassandra didn’t know how long she sat there, lost in thought. But she certainly snapped out of it when she heard shouting coming from inside the castle. She jumped to her feet and ran across the courtyard as quickly as she could, following the sound. Cassandra soon found herself in the stables on the outskirts of the palace, slowing down to stop herself from getting trampled by the horses making their way out.

Cassandra stood in the center of the stable as she searched for an explanation for whatever the hell was happening. Her eyes scanned the area, seeing stable boys saddling up horses, guards fumbling with their armor while they rushed across the grounds, and her father -- _her father, of course_ , he of all people would know what’s going on. He was helping a stable boy saddle up Maximus while shouting orders at everyone within hearing distance. 

Cassaundra called for her father, barely hearing her own words over the blood rushing in her ears. Without wasting any more time, she jumped into a sprint, bolting towards the stable. This was her chance to prove to her father that she was ready, more than ready to be a part of the guard. A chance to show her father that she was more than capable of protecting herself, that she didn’t need someone to hold her damn hand anymore. Yet, the look in her father’s eyes seemed to say otherwise. 

“Dad!” Cassandra called as she neared Max’s stable, speaking between breaths. “Dad, what’s --”

“James, I want you to bring Cassandra back inside the palace, make sure she doesn’t leave. The rest of you, get ready to head out, they couldn’t have gotten far!” The captain shouted towards a group of guards nearby,

“What! Dad, you can’t just-”

“Cassandra, please,” Her father interrupted, slapping a hand on Cassandra’s shoulder as he walked them out to the hall. “I know you want to help, but this is… well this is too important. And I just don’t think… well,” He faltered, avoiding eye contact with his daughter.

“You say that every time, Dad,” She crossed her arms, moving away from his side and sidestepping a guard making his way down the hall before turning to face her father. “You can’t just train me to be a part of the royal guard and then order me to stay behind. It’s not fair!” Her father opened his mouth to say something, but the stable boy got to it first. 

“Captain!” He said, getting both Cassandra and her father to turn in his direction. “Your horse is ready to leave!”

Cassandra looked back at her father, waiting for his response. After a momentary pause, the captain turned back on his heel, removed his helmet, and placed it on Cassandra’s head.

“Take this, we’ve already wasted enough time, there’s no use in getting you suited up,” he rushed, putting his hand on Cassandra’s shoulder once again and guiding her towards the horse. She was shocked at the sudden change of heart. Usually, she'd had to put up more of a fight. “Three thieves snuck into the castle and stole the crown of the lost princess. We’ve already sent teams after them, along with scouts on top of the palace to find them from afar.” Cassandra nodded eagerly, quickly climbing onto Maximus, adjusting the rather large helmet her father gave her once she was settled. 

“I need someone to make sure that we get back that crown. Don’t bother with the thieves, we’ve already got people on that.” Cassandra’s father rattled off as he walked the horse to the front of the palace.

“And Cassandra,” He said as they stopped nearby a group of calvary. 

“Be careful. Please.”

“Always am,” Cassandra smiled, more than confident that she would make her father proud. 

With a curt shout from Cassandra, Maximus sprinted out of the palace gates and towards the forest. The streets were relatively empty, which made it easier for Cassandra and Maximus to sprint through the town and catch up with the rest of the calvary. They’ve already lost enough time back at the stable, and Cassandra couldn’t afford to mess this up. Having Maximus was her greatest advantage, as he was the fastest and strongest horse in all of Corona. But she still found herself worrying that they wouldn’t make it in time, that the thieves would get away and the crown would be lost forever. 

Pressing forward, Cassandra and Maximus flew through the forest, jumping over fallen logs and weaving through shrubbery as they caught up to the thrives. Well, thief. An infamous one at that, and she found it unsurprising that he’d be the one behind this operation. 

“Rider!” Cassandra yelled out, which caught his attention.

He jumped onto a rock and propelled himself behind a tree, disappearing from her line of sight. Only seconds passed before Cassandra saw Flynn Rider swing his legs towards her face - fast. Before she could process what was going on, she felt a weight pressed against her torso, and her arms flung forward to grab the first thing her hands could find. That didn’t stop her from being flung from the horse, the sound of fabric tearing as she hit the floor, hard, and rolled off the side of the tall hill. She clutched the torn fabric close to her chest, bracing herself with every branch and rock that slowed her tumble.

Eventually, Cassandra fell into a large tree, forcing out the breath she was holding. She rolled onto her back and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the stinging pain on her torso. Cassandra cursed herself for not having any armor on. 

Cassandra slowly sat up, casually tossing the ripped fabric to the side in defeat. Slightly injured and horseless, she would never be able to catch up with the thief, let alone have the strength the fight him for the crown. Cassandra covered her face with her hands and groaned, not only at her pain but at her failure as well. She could already see the look on his face, could already hear what he was going to say, how he was going to react to her failure. All because of that dumb thief and that dumb crown. 

Moments passed, and Cassandra heard the brush rustle nearby, bringing her out of her thoughts. She stood up quickly, unsheathing her sword from her hip and cautiously stepping back. She held her breath for a moment, the sound of leaves shaking and bushes brushing against each other getting louder by the second. Cassandra took another step back, her foot brushing against the brown fabric on the ground. She looked down at it just for a second, only to do a double-take once she realized what it was.

“Oh my god,” Cassandra whispered to herself, reaching down and snatching the satchel from the floor. The handle was torn off, probably when she grabbed it from his waist, but the rest of the bag was still intact. And sure enough, the crown of the lost princess was inside, not a single gemstone out of place. 

That same moment, Flynn Rider burst through the brush looking slightly frazzled. Cassandra assumed the same position, one foot in front of the other, sword in one hand, satchel in the other. She pointed the sword in his direction before he could take another step. Rider stuck his hands up immediately, staring at the blade only inches away from his face. 

“If you value your life I’d suggest you turn around, now,” Cassandra spoke, putting power into her voice. 

“Well, I’d love to, really, but I just got my ass kicked by an angry horse, and let me tell you, it is not pleasant,” The thief started, his eyes darting to the satchel clutched in Cassandra’s left hand. “And you know what, I would love to stay and discuss how crazy that just was, but I’ve got a tight schedule today and I _really_ need my satchel back-”

“Not happening,” Cassandra interrupting raising her sword higher when Rider attempted to take a step forward.

“Hey, hey, hey! I’m sure we can figure out a deal of sorts. I’ll split the money! 10-90, what do you think? I’d say that’s rather generous since you didn’t actually put any of the work into stealing it but I’m feeling quite humbled today so if we could just-” Rider rambled on, his voice faltering when he heard a horse neigh not too far behind him. 

Rider turned his head slightly, just enough to get Cassandra out of his line of sight. Cassandra took that as her chance to get the hell out of there. She turned on her heel and sprinted, pushing through the trees and slicing anything that obstructed her path as she went. She focused on getting one foot in front of the other, no matter how much her feet ached or how badly her lungs burned. The excitement of it all was enough to keep her going, running deeper and deeper into the forest. She couldn’t stop, not now. 

But things didn’t always turn out the way she hoped they would. Just beyond the brush was a cliff, a sheer drop off the hill she was currently on. Cassandra immediately skidded to a stop as soon as she saw it, but the momentum from her sprint pushed her forward just enough that she slipped halfway off the edge. She managed to grab hold of a particularly strong root coming out of the grass before completely sliding off, her right hand holding the satchel along with her body weight and her left hand dangling by her side, her sword feeling heavy as she gripped onto it tightly. 

“Need help with that?” Cassandra heard the thief call from above, and she wanted nothing more than to slap that stupid smirk off his face. Cassandra let out a strangled noise in response, the root starting to slip as she struggled to pull herself up. Rider began walking towards the cliff, his eyes focused on the satchel clutched between her fingers. 

Think, Cassandra. Either let Rider take the crown and possibly push you off a cliff or, let go and take the crown with you to the grave. Neither option seemed to be in her favor, but the least she could do is die in spite. Looking down at the drop below her, and then to her sword, an idea popped into her head. 

“You know, I can’t say I feel sorry,” Rider said as he stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at Cassandra with an ugly smile. “Not everyone can be the hero, I guess. Now, I’ll be taking that-”

Before he could make another move, Cassandra let go of the vine and let herself fall. Taking her sword between both hands, she leaned herself closer to the cliff-side and stabbed the blade into the rock. It sparked up, causing Cassandra to turn her face away from the stone. The sword jerked as it dug deeper into the stone, and it stopped a few feet above solid ground. Cassandra hung for a moment, counting her blessings before she let go of the sword and hit the ground with an _oomph_. 

Looking up at the cliff, at what seemed to be certain death just moments ago, she saw Rider scaling his way down. Of course, he wouldn’t let down that easy. 

Cassandra turned on her heel and started making her way through the forest. There was no point in running - the thief would catch up to her eventually. Cassandra’s eyes scanned her surroundings, searching for a good place to hide. She spotted a large boulder hugging an ivy-covered rock wall not too far off the path. It wasn’t perfect, but Cassandra couldn’t waste her time on perfection. Tripping on some shrubs on her way over to the _very_ obvious hiding spot, Cassandra sank to the floor and hugged the satchel to her chest. She focused on slowing her heart rate, silently counting her breaths until they steadied. 

Cassandra heard footsteps coming in her direction, getting louder and louder by the second, a sense of panic settling in her stomach with each step. The fingers on her free hand curled around the hilt of a dagger she kept strapped to her thigh, her eyes focused on the shadows of the rock wall before her as she mentally prepared herself for a fight. 

The footsteps never slowed, though, running right past the boulder she was hiding behind. Cassandra leaned her head back in relief, releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Slowly, Cassandra lifted herself into a crouch and peered over the edge of her hiding spot. She could see a speck of blue and white through the trees, the figure running in a panicked sprint. 

_Rider_ , she groaned, rolling her eyes. Even though he acted like an idiot, he was quite the clever thief. He would figure out where Cassandra was sooner or later, and Cassandra did not want to stick around for that. 

Backing up slowly, Cassandra raised her hand to lean against the ivy-wall behind her, only to find her stumbling through it. _A hidden passage_ , there was no better place to hide. She pushed her way through the ivy and rushed into the cave, pressing her back against a nearby wall when she heard movement from behind. Cassandra took a quick glance at the ivy and saw the silhouette of a man, most definitely Flynn Rider, walking past. At this point, Cassandra started to question whether or not she was alive because of luck or sheer will. Either way, she was alive, and that was all that mattered. 

Once she was sure she couldn’t hear any movement outside the cave, Cassandra pushed herself off the wall and jogged through the cave. A patch of sunlight illuminated the other side, and Cassandra followed it to discover a large grove, hidden within the mountainside. What _really_ caught her attention, though, was the large tower in the center, perched by a waterfall that pooled into a small stream. 

Cassandra took a step back in disbelief, staring at the magnificent tower. It was covered in ivy, from the base of the tower to the top, the architecture somewhat mimicked the palace towers. It seemed abandoned, with all its overgrowth. And there was no light coming from the only window she could spot. It was more than a suitable place for Cassandra to camp out and recover herself. Cassandra had no doubt that she would be back at the palace before noon.

With no time to lose, Cassandra made her way towards the tower. She tied one end of the broken satchel handle around her waist, securing it so it wouldn’t fall during the climb. Walking up to the base of the tower, Cassandra grabbed the two daggers she carried on her at all times -- one strapped to her right thigh, the other hidden in her left boot. Looking up at the tower, the height seemed more daunting than it had when she first entered the grove. But it’s nothing that Cassandra hasn’t done before. 

With a deep breath, Cassandra leaned her left hand against the wall and lifted her right foot onto a rock on the wall, just below her waist. Gripping the dagger in her hand, she pushed herself up on her foot and dug the blade into the stone above her. Cassandra swayed for a second, losing her balance, but quickly swung the second dagger into the wall to hold her steady. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the first dagger and stabbed it back into the stone, a few inches higher than before. And so it began -- pull, lift, dig, pull, lift, dig -- until she reached the top of the tower, just below the window. 

Cassandra pulled herself up onto the ledge of the window and jumped onto the solid, wooden floor inside the tower. She turned around and closed the shutters behind her. She leaned against a nearby wooden post and collected her breath, thankful that she got to the top safely. Sheathing her daggers, she started untying the satchel from her waist, walking slowly into the dark room as she did so. Once the knot was undone, she pulled the bag in front of her and opened it rather aggressively. Peering inside, she saw the crown, the gemstones shimmering against the small rays of sunlight that escaped from the cracks of the window behind her. 

“Thank heavens,” Cassandra breathed out, finally relaxing and letting her guard down after all the trouble she just went through to get that crown. 

That was a mistake on Cassandra’s part, though. A sharp pain hit the back of Cassandra’s head, the sound of metal hitting something - _someone -_ vibrating through her skull. Black dots started to block Cassandra’s vision, and her consciousness gave out as soon as her body hit the floor. 

**Author's Note:**

> leave a comment and lmk what you think!


End file.
